8 



KORTH AMESICAN FAUNA. 



[No. 36. 



can be no doubt of the applicability of tbe name Jiumulis to the 

 harvest mouse of the Atlantic coast. 



In 1853 Leconte pointed out that " Mus Lecontei of Bachman is a 

 Reithrodon, and neither a Mus nor a Hesperomys. ^' ^ 



In 1855 Baird described a second species in the genus, Reithrodon 

 montanus, based on a single specimen collected on one of the Govern- 

 ment exploring expeditions in the Eocky Mountains, the exact local- 

 ity being unknown. This specimen remained unique in collections 

 for over 50 years, and not until 1907 was a series of topotypes secured, 

 making possible accurate characterization of the species. In his 

 great work on the ''Mammals of North America," published in 1857, 

 Prof. Baird recognized four vahd species — Tiumilis and montanus , 

 already described, and megalotis and longicauda, proposed as new, 

 the range of the genus being extended to the Mexican border and to 

 the coast of California. A fifth species, R. carolinensis (Aud. & 

 Bach.), was provisionally recognized. 



Baird realized that considerable differences existed between true 

 Reithrodon of South America and the North American mice placed 

 in the same genus, but as he had never seen either skins or skuUs of 

 the former, he found it impossible to indicate the discrepancies. 



In 1860 De Saussure described a species from Vera Cruz, Mexico, 

 as R. mexicanus and the next year another, R. sumichrasti, also from 

 Mexico but mthout definite locality. 



In 1874 Coues published a synopsis of the genus,^ pointing out the 

 characters which distinguish it from true Reithrodon and proposing 

 the name Ochetodon for the North American species. Five species 

 were recognized in this paper — humilis, longicauda, mexicanus, mon- 

 tanus, and sumichrasti, the last two provisionally. R. megalotis was 

 placed in synonymy under humilis. Using practically the same 

 material, he published in 1877 a more detailed revision of the genus ^ 

 in which he recognized only four species, having dropped 0. sumi- 

 chrasti even from synonymy. 



The name Ochetodon quickly became current, American naturalists 

 having overlooked the name Reithrodontomys proposed by Giglloli 

 some months earher than Oc7ie^o(Zo7i, and not until Merriam called atten- 

 tion to this fact in 1892,^ was the earlier name given precedence. 



In 1893 Allen revived the names megalotis and montanus, placing 

 them formally in the genus Reithrodontomys and naming a new form, 

 R. aztecus, from New Mexico.^ 



In 1895 Allen published an extended revision of the genus ^ in 

 which he recognized 15 forms, 8 of which were there first described, 



1 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1853, p. 410. 



2 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1874, pp. 184-186. 



8 Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, Kept. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., XI, 1877, pp. 120-130. 



* Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., VH, 1892, p. 26. 



6 BuU. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., V, 1893, p. 79. 



6 BuU. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vn, 1895, pp. 107-143. 



